Class Act

Centre Plate, the catering division of the State College Area High School culinary program, leads the field

A full plate from the buffet includes the cod fish fritter, cheese bread, chicken turnovers, roasted pineapple, broccoli rice, yuca with pepper toppings, and a pork and black bean stew with a steak skewer in the center covered with a pineapple chimichurri. A spicy shrimp stew is in the bowl. Bom apetite!

People streamed into the high school cafeteria last Tuesday evening for a Brazilian Buffet and Zach Lorber welcomed each of us as we shivered in. Brazilian music provided a soundtrack while the tables quickly filled with eager diners. A small army of students in crisp kitchen whites attended the tables as Lorber cruised through the room, encouraging people to queue up for the buffet.

An authentic Brazilian dinner in February in snowy Central PA? Yes, thanks to the vision and determination of Chef Zach Lorber who runs the program with pastry chef Nicole Jones, a 2010 State High grad who went on to a career in culinary after graduation.

Bamboo plates and cutlery, a placemat with factoids about the cuisine and culture of Brazil, and a minimalist feather centerpiece provided a touch of whimsy from the tropics. But the star was the food. From my first taste of the Moqueca, a spicy Shrimp Stew, I knew that this was going to be a taste-worthy event.

Tony Sapia chews on a Pan de Queso while Zach Lorber teases the baker and Zach’s wife Megan looks on.

Lorber circulated table to table during the dinner, touching base with the patrons and making sure that each of the items on the buffet line was filled and accessible. Student workers in the back hustled food to the line, stepping carefully through the busy swinging door to the kitchen and around Lorber. To adapt a Ted Lasso line, he’s here, he’s there, it seems he’s everywhere.

The State College High School culinary program has long been recognized for its innovative approach to introducing students to various opportunities in the culinary realm. There are four levels to the program with an opportunity for seniors to include work experience for credit. Lorber, who started teaching at the high school in January 2019, had to get creative once the pandemic forced the schools to shut down. He recalled taking a class to Penn Tech in Williamsport for a baking demo with Chef Charles Niedermeyer on the Friday in March 2020 before spring break and then not seeing his students until August when everyone returned masked. He adapted his curriculum to meet the restrictions.

This year’s culinary program currently consists of 143 students who range from 9^th to 12^th grades. Of the 16 seniors who are currently in the program, 8 are planning to continue their education in the culinary field—4 will attend culinary school, 2 will pursue food science, and 2 plan to enter a hospitality management program.

The many credentials that Lorber has include CEC (Certified Executive Chef by the American Culinary Federation), CSFE ( Certified Secondary Foodservice Educator by the- National Restaurant Association), and CDM, CFPP (Certified Dietary Manager by the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals). He trains and administers the national ServSafe course that is mandatory in most states, the exceptions being Oregon, Kansas, Tennessee, and Vermont.

The US food service industry earned 975.9 billion dollars in 2022 and the industry expects growth at upwards of 3% each year. There are jobs out there. Is Chef Lorber training the next celebrity chef? “My goal,” he laughed, “is to expose these kids to as much as possible and to teach them how to be a good and responsible human.”

Plus they will know how to feed themselves. Centre Plate hits a homer.

Juan and Megan Lorber share a hug after the dinner. When Juan was asked if he wakes up every day with that big smile he said “No. I only smile after I see her.” Happy early Valentine’s Day, mom, from a good human.

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